While Alex Goldschmidt wrote: “Nancy Pelosi is the perfect amount of petty we all should aspire to have.”

House Speaker Ms Pelosi, the most powerful democrat in the country, sat behind the president on the stage, wearing a white pantsuit.

She shook her head disapprovingly when he challenged Democrats or laid out a dark vision of illegal immigrants assailing America.

Many female lawmakers dressed in white to celebrate 100 years of women having the right to vote.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a young social media star, looked down or away when Trump delivered comments she viewed as egregious and stared daggers at colleagues who stood and clapped.

Donald Trump made his State of the Union address on Tuesday (AFP/Getty Images)

The diverse Democratic caucus, which includes a bevy of women, sat silently for much of Trump’s speech. But they leapt to their feet when he noted there are “more women in the workforce than ever before.”

During his speech, Mr Trump renewed his call for a border wall and cast illegal immigration as a threat to Americans’ safety and economic security.

He offered a lengthy defense of his call for a border wall, declaring: “I will build it.” But he delivered no ultimatums about what it would take for him to sign legislation to keep the government open.

“I am asking you to defend our very dangerous southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens and to our country,” he said, painting a dark and foreboding picture of the risks posed to Americans by illegal immigration.